NAM 1975: One Of The Original Neo Geo Titles

NAM 1975 is one of the original releases for the Neo Geo. At the initial launch, players had the option of buying their home system with either Baseball Stars Pro or NAM 1975 (this was changed to Magician Lord only in the US). Both games were lots of fun, but in my mind NAM 1975 has survived well enough to be considered a classic.

The premise is interesting. Dr. R. Muckley, an ex-US scientist, has been kidnapped with his daughter and taken into NAM’s backwoods. It is your job as a part of an elite special forces unit to go and rescue them (these words are lifted, more or less, from the intro screen). In abstract, it sounds like your average run-of-the-mill video game plot; however, it is executed surprisingly well. Invoking the feel of the movie “Apocalypse Now,” the game paints a dark, dreary and deadly serious mood as the soldiers go further and further into their suicidal mission. Most games would create a dark plot and more or less loose it in the duration of the game. NAM 1975 surpasses expectations and carries the feel all the way to the end without letting up, or going too far and becoming absurd. But what is all the good writing in the world if there’s no game to back it up? Read more >